Rush / 2112 super deluxe edition

A mere four years after the last reissue of the album (which included a super deluxe comic book edition with CD and 5.1 surround sound blu-ray audio) Canadian rock band Rushare preparing an even more ‘super’ deluxe edition of their 1976 album 2112 for a December release.
This new 40th anniversary super deluxe includes two CDs, three vinyl LPs and a DVD and plenty of memorabilia and other bits (tat?) like badges, a handbill and “ticket stub lithos”.

The first CD is the album proper and the second features new cover versions of tracks on the album by the likes of Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nick Raskulinecz; Billy Talent; Steven Wilson; Alice In Chains and Jacob Moon. This disc also features a couple of live archive outtakes from Massey Hall in 1976.

No 5.1 mix of the album this time around, but the DVD does include newly restored video and audio of the Capitol Theatre concert in 1976. Extras on this disc are an in-the-studio-performance by Billy Talent and Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins and Nick Raskulinecz along with a 25 min interview with Alex Lifeson and Terry Brown.

The three vinyl records in this set include the album, the covers and the live archive material with side six having an etched design on it. You also get a ‘Starman Turntable Mat’ in the box.

If you order this big box through Rush’s website you get a bonus seven-inch single (The Twilight Zone (b/w Lessons).

A 2CD+DVD edition loses the vinyl (and the tat) and gives you the album, the covers, and the video content for a fraction of the super deluxe price.

The 3LP vinyl edition will also be available on its own and there are various bundles on the Rush store. For extra festive cheer, the band’s website states: “Please note that due to the release date for this title being very close to Christmas, your order will not arrive to you by December 25th, 2016.”

2112 is reissued on 16 December. European and vinyl links should come through soon.

Disappointing release to say the least; an obvious cash grab. Rush always recorded just enough songs to fill an album, which is why there are almost no b-sides or unreleased songs in their catalog. And since they’ve been unwilling to release outtakes and/or alternate versions of the songs already on the albums, that leaves us with these cover versions that 99% of the fans don’t care about. Normally I would give them a pass, but not when a superior deluxe version of this album was just released a few years ago! This is in the running for the most pathetic “super deluxe” edition ever…

Mike i must admit the 2015 edition of 2112 is far superior than yet another edition hmmm, sounds as though you had a few crocodile tears hope you didn’t make it too obvious it would have been amazing too knowing it was the end of their tours, even reading a bit about the movie
will also bring a little tear as i have enjoyed their music for over 40 odd years, Paul the GRR box set was absolute pi– poor and when it first arrived 50 tracks high fidelity pure audio and how well did that format go! and the sound quality sounded like a drummer playing on an empty
can of baked beans, and no 5.1 surround sound, and although we all have our fave Stones songs
i didn’t mind the selections but gee we get a number of their well known singles but why oh why they were not extended mixes as on some of their studio albums hmm.

Given that Rush’s own website store says that if you order this it won’t arrive for Christmas, I guess they don’t need the Christmas bonus that the sales of this will/would generate…

I can’t decide on this. I have zero interest in hearing other people cover Rush (Billy Who?) but equally I have no interest in 5.1 surround mixes so I didn’t buy the previous reissue. And my current standard CD copy of 2112 is from the Rush Remasters series so all this new version offers is perhaps an improved audio on the original album, and the live stuff. Hmm…

To quote Biff:
“where were you in 79 when the dam began to burst”
A truly great album, but covers by the Rush backslappers . . oh dear . . . sad to say, but an album your old timer Rush nuts once obsessed about along with all the pre-1980 stuff, has firmly landed in the land of a proper Dad-rock stocking filler . . .

Tonk have to agree although Rush did their “covers” a few years ago, i am pretty happy with the 2015/2112 bluray edition but to see some other artists “cover” Rush yuuuck could not think of anything worse

What a disaster this release is….now this is really scrapping the barrel…plus to put on cover versions by other bands really is taking the P><*…gonna save my money for something more interesting than this cop out.

Am I missing something or is there nothing worth having here? I have the comic book blu-ray so I already have a superior version of the album, I do not want a covers album like the one included with the weak Goodbye Yellow Brick Road SDE, and I’m not sure if the live stuff is special enough to warrant the money. This is one SDE that is begging me NOT to buy it.

A disappointing release and expensive too. I have no interest in a cd of cover versions and the same remastering as the 2015 release. I am a huge Rush fan and have been since the late 70S. I know there is little the in the way of unreleased songs by Rush but I’m sure the second disc could have been replaced with some demo’s, out takes or studio stuff. Thank you though Paul.

I’m another long-time Rush fan and 2112 is awesome. But a covers CD….? who the hell thought that’d be a good idea? So I’ll pass and stick with my existing CD. If it was the album and DVD then I might be in if the price was right, but I’m not paying up for something I’ll never listen to (unless it’s a rock-bottom price). Disappointing :-(

Neither. according to the web site the CD is the “Original Album Remastered at Abbey Road Studios – First Time on CD”. so not the same a Sectors, remastered from a few years back or even the “LP / hi-res digital” from last year.
[Scratching my head.] Why so many variations?

Gisabun- I thought the Hi res versions were mastered at Abbey road? Those masterings sounded amazing, huge dynamics with little or no dynamic range compression that it so prevalent these days and no harsh eq (to my ears anyway). I bought all the hi res issues and the majority of them are my favourite digital masterings. It will be nice to have that mastering on a physical disc.

What a sordid exercise in barrel-scraping from my favourite band. I presume the Dave Grohl/Taylor Hawkins/Nick Raskulinecz cover is the ‘affectionate comedy’ 2112 Overture from the Hall of Fame induction. The Passaic concert footage is all over YouTube. The remaster is the hologram vinyl master from last year. So, in effect, you get a watch-one-time interview with Alex and Terry Brown, a never-listen-to Peart voiceover, a pointless radio jingle, a bunch of repro rubbish… and two live out-takes.
At least the first two Pink Floyd Immersion boxes bundled some really worthwhile live material with their buttons and scarf. This is shameful.

Great to see the universal (almost) revilling of ‘modern’ musos trying to cover 2112 . . . fairly restores my faith in humanity ‘;0)
Bring back the Scotsman with the sausage . . . but then to understand that you need to find a 1978 copy of Beat Instrumental magazine . . .

So I bought this set when it was announced and then I thought about it a little more and it’s a pretty useless box. But now I realize that the initial run that included the 7″ and 45 spindle sold out in about 24-48 hours. That’s pretty quick for a big run but now I’m wondering if I keep my set purely for speculative purposes? I’m not sure how much value after fees I could get. The market might also be flooded with copies once released. (I’m not a big re-seller person but just thinking outloud)